Shopping in Asheville

On a winter Saturday afternoon, blue skies often mean a trip across the mountain to Asheville, North Carolina for Mr. Mickey and me.

We took a break from shopping in the Grove Arcade to visit Carmel's. One of our favorite treats is their homemade pimento cheese appetizer, a house-made blend of cheeses with jalapenos served with garlic crostini.

Later in the day, a cup of hot chocolate was just the thing to take away the chill.

It's always fun to visit the Screendoor to look through an eclectic mix of treasures, junque, and books.

No trip to the Biltmore Village is ever complete until we stop by Chico's for a peek at the sale rack. The necklace, long sleeve tee, vest, and pants I am wearing today are all old from Chico's. The coat is also old from Geiger. The short boots were Ralph Lauren via T.J.Maxx last year. The black Tignanello handbag is old from SteinMart.

I hope your shopping trips have been successful! 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mr. Mickey and I were among the guests at the home of my sister and her husband for the family Thanksgiving feast today. I am most thankful that I did not have to do the cooking!

This picture is from earlier in my breakfast nook wearing black So Slimming Ponte pants from Chico's. The long sleeve purple tee, purple sweater, and silver necklace are also from Chico's. The short black Nickels boots were from Belk last year.

Sitting by my sister's wood-burning fireplace is a great place to be on a cold, snowy day!

Mr. Beasley is perhaps the most pampered stray ever! 

He is not amused at having all these loud people in "his" house.

Let the feast begin!

I hope you were also able to spend time with family and special friends today.

Dinner with the Wine Club

After a long busy week, we always look forward to date night on Friday. This evening, we enjoyed a special dinner with friends at the beautiful home of our wine club members. 

The gold necklace, metallic copper sweater, and wheat-colored tank are from Chico's Fall 2013 line. The black pants and low heeled shoes are old.

Enjoying the bouquet of a lovely Veramonte Ritual Pinot Noir from Chile. Cool night air coming off the ocean allows the grapes grown to result in a wine with a bright fruit aroma and flavors of black cherries, blueberry, raspberry, and plum.

Rick graciously conducts our wine club gatherings. He humbly shares his vast knowledge of wine, peppered with stories of his travels worldwide to visit vineyards. It is always a pleasure to be in his company.

It was so nice to spend the evening with dear friends and get to know some new ones a little better.

Ming Wang at the Symphony

Saturday date night included dinner at our favorite restaurant and a night at the Symphony. I wore a fabulous jacket from Ming Wang.

Founded in 1986, Ming Wang is named for the designer and co-founder, Ming Wang, who has been designing knitwear exclusively for over 30 years. She strives to create garments that flawlessly transition from day to night for many years to come. I am now a fan! This jacket was so comfortable to wear and beautifully made with individual square stones sewn on the edges.

Ming Wang pieces are crafted with a specialized yarn so that the entire collection is wrinkle-free, machine washable, fade-resistant, and travel friendly. Their signature product, structure knits, and dresses, pants, and other accessories, are available in hundreds of boutiques all over the US, as well as Dillards, Von Maur, and online at Nordstrom.

Dinner at Gourmet and Company included a dessert of apple bread pudding for Mr. Mickey and a Grand Marnier for me.

The Symphony performance was fabulous, as always, but I must confess, I was so tired after two weeks of moving and cleaning I may have taken a small nap during it.

Rain on Date Night

It was raining, and the restaurant was super crowded, but we forgot about all that as we visited with our dearest friends.

I am wearing shades of gray, topped with a sapphire boiled wool jacket from Chico's. Note that I wear black and white animal prints. The gold undertones of most brown animal prints do not complement my cool skin tone.